This is how often you should be taking a shower
Most people shower on a daily basis. In the morning or at night; everyone has their own preferences and habits when it comes to showering. Some people wash their hair every single day while others do it a few times a week, or even less often. But is it really necessary to shower every day? And what kind of effect does that have on your skin? We’ve got the answer.
The answer will probably surprise you.
Shower less
According to German dermatologist Yael Adler, there’s no need to be showering every single day. In fact, showering only once a week is the best thing to do for your skin. Of course, this isn’t very handy or pleasant in our modern society, where everyone expects you to smell fresh. Especially when you exercise on a regular basis, a daily shower seems to be a must. Showering every day isn’t even the worst thing we do, though. What’s much worse is that we use way too much soap. Too much shampoo, soap and other products dry out your skin immensely.
Protective layer
Because you strip your skin of its natural protective layer every time you’re showering, you need to build up a new protective layer. The thing is, this takes up to four weeks. That’s why people often have dry or irritated skin after showering. According to Adler we don’t need to shower every day because we don’t smell as much as we think we do. She does recommend showering after you’ve exercised, though.
Every day
We totally understand that you don’t want to stop showering every day (we don’t feel like doing that either…) and Adler gets this as well. If you do want to shower every day, you should try using cold or lukewarm water and very little to no soap. Especially shower gels that foam and have a particular scent will cause your skin to dry out. Adler says that it’s important to focus on the dirtiest part of your body (your feet, armpits, pubic area, and between your buttocks) and that skin flakes and sweat will simply rinse right off thanks to the water.
Read more: Are your towels smelling a little sour? With this easy trick they’ll smell fresh again!
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Source: Margriet | Image: Pexels